Samsung Galaxy S9 shines bright in world of smartphones

John Farmer
Digital producer
John is currently digital producer at The Chronicle in Toowoomba where he previously worked as a journalist for two-and-a-half years. He started in newspapers as a journalist at The Chinchilla News in 2005 before he was appointed group editor of Surat Basin Publications.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 which comes in a striking lilac purple as well as midnight black.Jennifer Dudley

SAMSUNG'S new Galaxy S9 is a bright light in the ongoing advancement of smartphone technology.

Unveiled ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the smartphone comes with a "reimagined" dual aperture camera, switching between F1.5 and F2.4.

Samsung says with the ability to adjust like the human eye, the S9's camera produces superior quality photos in low light conditions - 28 per cent more light than compared to the S8.

Add to that super slow-motion video, AR emojis and a real-time translation feature, and it's clear the "reimagined" 12MP camera is the flagship feature of the latest instalment of the Galaxy smartphone.

It comes as no surprise that so much focus has been placed on enhancing the camera. Last year smartphone users shared an extraordinary 1.2 trillion pictures, and five billion emojis.

This increasingly visual way of communication led Samsung to a "basic rethink of what a phone can do" and the role of technology in this advancement.

Samsung's new Galaxy S9 was unveiled in Barcelona, Spain, ahead of the Mobile World Congress.Jennifer Dudley

Slow motion revolution

The S9's ability to shoot super slow motion video was a hit with the group of Australian journalists and tech writers briefed ahead of the signature Unpacked launch of the new Galaxy.

A water balloon dropped on to a pin was used to demonstrate the new feature, resulting in stunning Matrix-like visuals.

The camera automatically detects motion as soon as it enters a frame and starts recording at an impressive 960 frames a second.

Users can then access the video as a GIF, add any song to soundtrack the footage and share their super slow motion masterpiece with anyone.

So, you want to be an emoji?

While the launch of any new technology is serious business, Samsung's new Galaxy S9 comes with a fun side certain to appeal to most smartphone users.

Similar to Apple's Animoji, S9 users can map their own faces onto a 3D emoji that can then be customised in terms of skin tone, facial expressions, outfits, hairstyle and more.

These can then be shared with any smartphone user as a GIF.

Getting down to business

The S9 and S9+ are the most business savvy Galaxy smartphones yet with the DSex Dock that connected the Galaxy S8 and Note 8 to a monitor for a desktop experience.

The new DeX pad allows the docked phone to be used as a touchpad or a virtual keyboard.

World at your fingertips

The new Galaxy takes the world around you and breaks it down in real time like never before. An in-built translator works via the camera - users just point and in just seconds the feature translates.

The new Galaxy also allows users to take photos of food and get real-time information on that amount of calories it contains.

The new Samsung Galaxy S9 comes with a dual-aperture camera, a first for smartphones.Jennifer Dudley

A smartphone for any occasion

The low-light capability of the camera is not the only feature that makes the S9 and S9 Plus the most versatile of Samsung's smartphones.

A new intelligent scan feature combines face and iris scanning to improve accuracy and security even in low or very bright light.

The fingerprint scanner has been relocated to a central location, making it more accessible and solving one of the key problems users identified with the S8.

Samsung clearly wanted the new Galaxy to perform in any condition of landscape.

Key features

The Galaxy S9 comes with a 5.8 inch Infinity display while the S9+ has a 6.2 inch display.

They will be available in three colours - coral blue, lilac purple and midnight black.

Stereo speakers tuned by AKG and using Dolby Atmos technology make for an immersive, 360-degree sound experience.

Galaxy S9 Plus has 6GB RAM, the Galaxy S9 only 4GB.

They come 64GB, 128GB or 256GB memory that can be expanded to 400GB with the use of a micro SD card.

When and how much

Pre-sale launches on February 26 while the new Galaxy goes on sale on March 16. Prices range from $1199 for the Galazy S9 64GB to $1499 for the Galaxy S9+.

Disclosure: The writer travelled to the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as a guest of Samsung